在历年大学英语六级考试中,阅读理解题所占的分值比较高,考生在此题中丢分也比较多,是试题难度大吗?考生回答不是,但又普遍反映说文章中几乎没有生词,可有些句子就是弄不明白其意思,影响了对答案的正确选择而导致失分。究其根源,是考生未能把握好意群在英语阅读理解中的运用。现将在阅读理解中有关意群方面存在的问题归纳如下,以供参阅。
1?当出现复合句时,特别是定语从句和宾语从句,若定语从句关系词或宾语从句连接词that被省略,考生常常会打乱意群,读起来不得要领。例如:
① The crafts people buy include things to decorate their homes,clothes for their children and gifts for their friends,holidays,weddings or special occasions.
people buy是定语从句,限制the crafts,如果将The crafts people看作一个意群,则后面的buy include things便没法理解了。
② He must capture the horse.He knew better man than he had tried.
此例第二句中的knew后省略了that,better m an than he属于一个意群,是这个宾语从句的主语,若把he knew better放在一起读,下文就读不通了。
2.非谓语动词-ing形式与-ed形式引起的麻烦。例如:
③ Assembly will have limited self- governing powers,British say it could be as long as 30 years before the North might be in charge of its own affairs.
这里will have不与 limited一起构成将来完成时,will have后应稍有停顿,lim ited用作形容词,作前置定语,修饰self-governing powers,它们构成一个意群,是 有限的自治权 的意思。
④ For those who prefer reading the evening newspaper offers the reader the possibility of reading the news others see and hear on TV.
本句中,reading出现两次,第一个reading是名词化的动名词,不能直接带宾语,后面应有停顿,the evening newspaper不是 reading的宾语,它属于下一个意群,是句子的主语;第二个reading是动词的-ing形式, the news是它的宾语。
3.分不清句中词的搭配关系。例如:
⑤A few bloodhounds and threats cleared the village of all the Indian inhabitants.
此句中的of不表示所有关系,因此不与village构成一个意群,它与cleared搭配,cleared...of...是 从 清除 的意思。
⑥The petition asked that during June,July,and August the working hours be changed from 8 to 5 with an hour off for lunch to 7 to 3:30 with a half-hour for lunch.
be changed以下部分的意群容易搞错,考生正在这里兜圈子,他们的视线停留在be changed from 8to 5,于是看不懂下文了。应该说from与句中的第二个to搭配,from后的8 to 5with an hour off for lunch是一个意群。第二个to后面7 to 3:30with a half-hour for lunch是另一个意群。这样读意思就理解了:要求作息时间从原来的上午8点至下午5点,中间留一个小时吃午餐改为上午7点至下午3点30分,中间留半个小时吃午餐。
4.分不清and所连接的成分在层次上的差别。例如:
⑦Among the factors responsible for the higher crop yields per acre are the widespread use of m achinery for power,the development of better fertilizers,the breeding of better varieties,particularly semidwarf wheat and rice and hybrid sorghum and corn,and the more efficient use of irrigation.
例句中连用了四个and,第四个and连接的部分是第一层次,在particularly...corn这部分中,第二个and连接的是第二层次,第一个与第三个and连接的是第三层次,semidwarf wheat and rice与hybrid sorghum and corn应视作两小项,不可分为四项,semidwarf既修饰wheat也修饰rice;hybrid同时修饰sorghum与corn。
5.分不清this/these/that/those等是指示代词还是限定词。作指示代词可以代替名词单独使用,而作限定词时,它们修饰名词,不能单独使用。例如:
⑧If his savings,pension,and social security are substantial,he can engage in charitable or religious activities.But the self-reliant American finds these poor substitutes for those social and business activities which once occupied his time and energies.
these是指示代词,代替上文中的 charitable or religious activities而充当 finds的宾语,poor substitutes是宾语的补语,意思是说:发现慈善、宗教活动不能取代原来从事的社交、商业活动。若把 these看作限定词,则these poor substitutes成了一个意群,语意大相径庭。
6.英语句子中那些从逻辑上讲应该接续的成分被分隔时,如果不能确定被分割的成分,也就不能正确读懂意群。例如:
⑨ The prisoners are overcrowded, with many cells intended for one man occupied by three.
这句中的关键是要注意with短语中的分隔,即with所带的宾语m any cells与宾补occupied之间被充当后置定语的过去分词短语intended for one man隔开,其意群的划分应该是with many cells/intended for one man/occupied by three,整个句子的意思是:监狱现在过度拥挤,许多原来关一个人的单身牢房现在关三个人。
对于篇幅较大,长句较多的阅读文章来说,弄懂意群至关重要。因此,在平时的阅读练习中,要注意在从句的分析、非谓语动词的辨析、词语的搭配及句子的逻辑关系等方面多下功夫,这样才能提高阅读能力,争取六级考试得高分。
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